1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical suturing needle for penetrating cutaneous and sub-cutaneous tissue. More particularly, the surgical needle is provided with a tapered needle head having a multi-faceted cross-section and a plurality of cutting edges, and is used generally for adjoining or closing adjacent portions of skin or tissue.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Suturing needles for applying sutures, or stitches, by hand in cutaneous and sub-cutaneous tissue are well known in the art. Typically, the sutures are used to close wounds or adjoin adjacent tissue, often at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. Suturing needles are usually made from a cut blank of material such as stainless steel. The cut blank is metal-worked using well known machining techniques to form the surgical suturing needle. The needle generally includes a shaft, a rear end portion with means to grip or secure a suturing thread and a needle head at a front end portion for puncturing skin and tissue through which the needle travels. The needle head typically includes a sharpened needle tip at its distal end and cutting edges.
An important consideration in designing surgical suturing needles is needle sharpness. Sharper needles require less force to penetrate the tissue and thus cause less tissue trauma. In addition, sharper needles reduce fatigue on the needle itself, making it less likely to bend or break during suturing. Needle sharpness is typically defined in terms of a so-called penetration force--the force necessary for a needle to puncture, or penetrate, the tissue. The penetration force is primarily determined by the design and sharpness of the needle point and the cutting edges formed on the needle head.
One example of a conventional surgical needle designed for improved needle sharpness is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,961, to Wong, et al. That patent discloses a needle having a tapered cutting edge with a five-sided cross-section. The needle has three fluted edges for cutting the tissue. The cross-section is basically triangular in shape, but indentations are provided in two fluted edges of the triangle to form the five sides and accentuate the third fluted edge.
However, further improvements in surgical needle design are desirable. The subject invention provides significant advances over conventional suturing needles by improving needle attributes such as needle sharpness, while also reducing the machining costs of manufacturing the needle.